Johnny introduced Oded as his bodyguard and explained that they had been captured in Cyprus. He also gave a shorthand account of their conversation with Imam Mourtashef and his threats. He added that there was no public outcry in Israel about the missing Israelis but as a member of one of the Knesset's select committees on foreign affairs he was briefed by a senior intelligence officer from Mossad that Iran was involved. Zorik motioned to Johnny to keep his voice down and whispered that there were probably recording devices in their prison cell. He added that he suspected that this was the reason why they were all allowed to stay together. He also said that they had so far avoided speaking about anything except how they were captured — information that their captors obviously knew. Johnny looked at Inbal and a look of recognition crossed his face but before he could utter a word Zorik approached him and murmured something that only Johnny could hear. Johnny nodded and promised to keep this very sensitive piece of information to himself. Zorik didn't really trust him to do so, especially under pressure, but couldn't do anything about it.
Johnny said aloud that he was pleased to hear that the hostages were indeed treated well. He added that his sudden disappearance from Aiya Napa was sure to raise an alarm in Israel — after all, an elected Member of the Knesset had never disappeared into thin air before — and he was sure a thorough investigation was already under way.
David Avivi was sent to Cyprus to investigate the sudden disappearance of Johnny Shmaryahu the Member of Knesset. Johnny had been expected to contact the "whip" of his parliamentary party the previous day and tell him how he intended to vote on a certain issue. When all attempts to contact Johnny had failed the "whip" called the security service and as Johnny was abroad when he disappeared the matter had been passed on to Mossad. The Head of Mossad suspected that Johnny's disappearance may have been connected to that of the other Israelis and briefed David about the incident.
It took no great effort for David to find the hotel in which they had been staying. A couple of crisp banknotes changed hands and the hotel manager showed David the suite that Johnny and Oded occupied. Another couple of banknotes and the manager called the person in charge of room service and was told that a bellboy was sent to deliver two bottles of champagne to the suite. David asked the manager to summon the bellboy and when he arrived asked the frightened young man if he saw who was in the suite. The bellboy said that he saw three men and described them. David instantly recognized Johnny and Oded from the description. He pulled a few more bills out of his pocket and said that these should refresh the bellboy's memory and asked him to describe the third man in detail. The bellboy's eyes lit up as he looked at the bills and said that the man was in his late twenties, well built and had short blond hair. He added that the three men were already very inebriated and kept laughing but he couldn't say what they were wearing as they were all in bathrobes.
David, like many members of the public, was aware of Johnny's sexual preferences and knew that Oded doubled as a bodyguard and boyfriend. He understood that the blond man was invited to join the party but had no idea who this man was. He suspected that he must have been involved in the disappearance of Johnny and Oded that he now suspected was another kidnapping. He looked around the room and noted that it was tidy with no evidence that a fight had taken place in the suite. He reckoned that some kind of drug must have been used because there was no other way the blond man could have taken the two Israelis by force without a fight. David was aware that Oded was well trained in unarmed combat and would surely protect his employer and lover. David asked the hotel manager if surveillance cameras were installed in the hotel and the manager just laughed and said that there was nothing to fear in Cyprus so these were not necessary. David thought that there was nothing else he would find in the hotel so he thanked the manager, asked him to pack the guests' belongings that were left in the suite and send them to Israel.
He called Haim Shimony and reported his meager findings and asked if he should try to locate the blond man. Shimony told him that the two men were probably already in Iran or on their way there and there was no point hanging around in Cyprus. He added that Mossad knew that Iranian agents were very active in Cyprus, as well as agents from many other intelligence services. The small island had become an entry point for people trying to covertly get into the Arab countries of the Middle East as well as the exit point for people travelling in the opposite direction. Finally, Shimony told David to catch the next flight from Larnaca, the major international airport of Cyprus, back Tel-Aviv and to meet him at his office in Mossad headquarters as soon as possible.
Haim Shimony asked for an urgent personal meeting with the Prime Minister. The PM demanded to know what progress had been made regarding his granddaughter and the other missing Israelis. Shimony told him about the disappearance in Cyprus of a Member of the Knesset and his bodyguard and reiterated the main points of David's report. The PM wanted to know if there was any hard evidence that the Iranians were responsible and became truly agitated when Shimony said that there were only indications but no definitive proof, except for information delivered by General Koliagin that the hostages were held in Evin Prison in Tehran. Shimony added the Russians could not be fully trusted because they had their own interests and their dirty hands were stuck in many pies. The PM concluded the meeting by saying that he wouldn't tolerate this situation for much longer and if Shimony could not provide substantial irrefutable evidence within three days then the PM would find someone who could do the job. Shimony was stunned as no PM had ever so blatantly threatened a Mossad head.
By the time David Avivi entered Shimony's office it was past ten pm. David immediately noticed that Shimony looked very tired and under great stress. He took the bottle of Ouzo that he had purchased at the duty-free store at Larnaca airport, poured some into a glass and added cold water. The clear liquid turned into a cloudy white drink and David invited his boss to sip some "milk" as the drink was nicknamed by its aficionados throughout the Middle East and the Balkans. A tiny smile crossed Shimony's lips as he took a sip and relaxed a little. He then told David about the phone call from the PM and its implications on his own career, and on the careers of several senior Mossad operatives that he had promoted. He didn't need to add that if he was fired the next Mossad head would be one of the PM's cronies who knew nothing about intelligence operations and would always act to please the PM even if it was not in the best interests of the country.
Chapter 7
Mr. and Mrs. John and Angelica Smith got out of the taxi that they had picked up at Boston Logan airport and checked into the small family hotel on Massachusetts Avenue that was located on the same block as the St. John Evangelist Church. The Chinese clerk at the desk did not believe that their real name was Smith nor that they were Americans as John's driver's license claimed, but as they paid cash up-front for one week he didn't really care who they were or where they came from. He tried to pry what they were doing in the area but John answered curtly that they were visiting their family and also had some business meetings at MIT. The clerk gave them a key ring with two keys and explained that their room was located in the building next door and one key was for the front door and the other for their room. They got a small room on the second floor from which they could see the traffic moving along the busy avenue.